Prelude to a Groovy Road Trip

About the Book

Sunny Key West sets the stage for writer/professor G. J. Dürrschmidt to launch a bucket-list cross-country road trip in his 1970 Volkswagen bus. As only the magic of Key West could possibly make happen, the bus takes on the persona of Vinnie van Go, who decides to try his hand at poetry. “If the old man can write,” says Vinnie, “then I sure as hell can too!” This book is a serendipitous collection of Key West–inspired thoughts and observations made through the eyes and poetry of a vintage VW love bus. It’s all about love. It reveals the strong and special bond that has grown between man and machine. Both must face the reality of aging and its role as they prepare to hit the road. Come climb aboard. Laugh, cry, and be shocked together with them. Though mostly mild, Vinnie’s poems can be somewhat naughty. Reader, beware!

About the Author

Vinnie van Go is a 1970 Volkswagen transporter (bus) that, in 2008, had new life breathed into him when he was adopted and renovated by writer and English professor G. J. Dürrschmidt, who holds a graduate degree in writing from the Johns Hopkins University. Vinnie was born (manufactured) in August 1969 in Bremen, Germany—the very same month of the Woodstock Music Festival in Bethel, New York. From the moment the sheet-metal seams of his body were welded together, he knew in his soul of souls that he had been infused with the spirit of the sixties. He remains to this day a love bus. Through the powers of magic and imagination, he recently discovered that he possessed the ability to write—specifically poetry. His poetry stems from his unique observations of people, places, and things and focuses primarily upon, well, what else—love.